To begin my trip around the city’s kitchens, I decided to start off with a bonafide institution: Pete and Sam’s, located on Park Avenue, just west of Audubon Park in Midtown. I came as part of a group of six on Friday night. The place was very crowded and we were lucky to find parking, but we were seated very promptly and waited on in a reasonable amount of time as well. I would call the décor classic: wood paneling, Memphis memorabilia hung throughout, Christmas lights strung around the ceiling. It obviously hasn’t been touched much since it originally opened in 1948. The entire place – the décor, the uniforms, the menu, it was very much a time warp. It is the kind of place I imagine Dean Martin would have hung out in.

The menu was old fashioned but fairly extensive. It relied heavily on stereotypical Italian-American fare such as spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, ravioli, linguine and clam sauce etc. There were also sandwiches, several seafood options, a selection of steaks, and half chickens. They serve beer or you can BYOB and they will “sell” you a wine glass for $2.75 each. Portions are average to generous, but in addition to your main course a dinner (around $15 for most items) includes a side salad, and choice of two sides such as baby sized pizzas, Italian spinach, ravioli, spaghetti, or baked potatoes. The side salads are fairly large bowls of iceberg lettuce, generously doused (some might say drowned) with dressing and topped with a black olive, pepperoncini pepper, and a couple tomato chunks. I found the Italian vinaigrette to be above average, but the rest of the table was less enthusiastic. The biggest complaint was the quality of the tomatoes – slightly past ripe and just not particularly good produce. The baby size pizzas we had were excellent – crispy thin crust without being burnt or flavorless. I would have gladly eaten a full pizza on my own.

For entrees, our crew of six opted for a petit filet, lasagna, manicotti, veal parmigiano, chicken marsala, and cannelloni. Overall verdicts were mixed.  The filet was cooked slightly below the requested medium, but generally quite well prepared. Judging by the juices it released on the first slice, it could have stood to rest for a few minutes before being served, but that is pretty tough to gauge with a party of six and a pretty common error, even at the best steak houses. The pasta dishes were all satisfactory, good but not quite great. The lasagna appeared to have canned mushrooms in it, but the other ingredients were between good and great. In particular the pasta in all the dishes was superb. Not sure if it was made in-house, but it definitely tasted fresh. Also worth mentioning is the ricotta blend used in the manicotti and ravioli which had a delectable savory flavor and the perfect texture between creamy and gooey. The only real loser in the bunch was the chicken marsala. The chicken was tough and overcooked, and the sauce was overly sweet, missing the strong wine flavor I’m used to in marsala dishes. Six out of six at the table agreed that it wasn’t up to par. Thankfully, the waitress, who had been prompt and attentive all night, offered to remove it from the tab without a fuss. The Italian spinach is supposed to be a house specialty, but I unfortunately didn’t get to try it on this trip.

Bottom line: Pete and Sam’s is a slice of history. You aren’t going to get innovative Italian cuisine featuring fresh and local or rare imported ingredients, and you aren’t going to get an extensive wine list. It is the Italian-American version of comfort food, and you need to appreciate it for what it is. That said, I’m not sure it ever rises above its history. When I left there, I thought about the history and the ambience much more than I did the lasagna. It was good, but not something I would remember and crave later. On our visit, four out of six left satisfied and willing to return. The other two, not so much. I would definitely recommend it for someone who is in the mood for red-sauce centric, meat-heavy Italian food, but I doubt I would evangelize it as a must-eat for visitors to the city.

Overall rating: 3/5 – I’d definitely return, but it probably won’t be making my top ten list.

Since things can vary so much in the restaurant biz from night to night and dish to dish, I’ve put together a handy review of different internet opinion forums to give a bigger picture for the curious diner. If you’ve been to Pete and Sam’s, what did you think? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Urban Spoon – 4/5 Stars (84% of 195 reviewers liked it)

Trip Advisor – 3/5 Stars based on 13 reviews

Yelp – 2.5/5 Stars based on 5 reviews

City Search – 4/5 stars based on 24 reviews

Pete and Sam’s official website: http://www.peteandsamsrestaurant.com/

Commercial Appeal review: http://www.gomemphis.com/news/2009/aug/14/a-side-of-charm-dash-of-hominess/

Food & Drink